Double Exposures
What are double exposures?
A double exposure, at its core, is simply photographing two images onto a single frame.
More modern cameras have a double exposure setting, while older ones often have a knob. Check your camera manual for instructions.
Cameras like the Dianas and Holgas don’t wind the film between frames, so you simply depress the shutter release twice without winding.
Not all cameras do double exposures. Disposable cameras, for instance, have no built-in double exposure capability.
Another way to achieve double exposures is to adopt the “Blind Double” technique
“Blind Doubles” (©Cami Turpin) means running the film through your camera, extracting it and then running it through again. You shoot “blindly”, not trying to force anything or even line up your frames properly. Often letting film do its thing gives great rewards. Some people will even swap the film with a friend; one person shoots the entire roll then sends the film to someone else to shoot blindly over the same roll.
When shooting a double exposure, keep in mind….
Anything that is dark on one image will “reveal” what’s on the other image. Conversely, whatever is light on one image will “erase” what’s on the other image.
In the example shown here, I knew my black backdrop and outfit would “reveal” the flowers I shot over it. If I had a white backdrop and outfit, the flowers would have barely, if even, shown.